Locking means



Nov. 30 1926. 1,608,539

A. B. WETHERELL v LOCKING MEANS Filed t- 31, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIE-1.

Nov. 30, 1926. 1,608,539

A. B. WETHERELL LOCKING MEANS Filed 001 31 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 30, 1926.

ANSON'B. WE'IHERELL, F PITTSBURGEI, -PENNSYLVANIA.

LOCKING MEANS.

Application fi1edi0ctober 31, 1923.

My invention relates to a combination locking means andis particularly adapted for locking such .mechanisms as steering wheels when not in use, although it will be obvious from the following description that it is adapted for otheruses,

Many locks for steering wheels are so .made asto. loekthe wheel to thesteering post when in use and to. unlock it therefrom when idle. Such locks are dangerous as they do away withthe rigid connection between the steering wheel and post which is essential for absolute safety. .Alsomany locks which are at present inuse require the manipulation of a key torlocking and unlocking with the attendant disadvantages and the danger. of losing the .key and so renderingthe lock useless.

An object of my invention. is to provide a lock which .in no wayv affects the rigid connection between the .wheel. and steering post and which is so constructed as to positively hold the wheehagainst any movement when locked.

. A further object is. to provide. 1 a. simple, POSllZlV6-lOCki of this type which can be easily andsurelyzoperated without the use of keys'of anyj-sort.

Further objects willbe apparent from. the

following description and the accompany .ing drawings inv which I have. shown one ..embodiment of .my invention as applied to asteeringwheel and inwwhich Figure 1 is a vertical section through my locking means showingit applied to a steering post, 2

is a horizontalsection on the line A- A. of

Fig. 1 looking in thedirection of the arrows; Fig. 8 is a similar. view on :the l1neB-B.oii

Fig. 1 looking in the direction of thearrows,

Fig.4 is a similarviewon the line C,C of F 1 looking in the direction of the arrows, Fig. 5. isae side elevation thereof andFig. 6 is a sectional view. or .my locking meansas applied to such an. instrument as adoor showing the means. for unlockingthe members'fr om the insldew thout manlpulatmg the. required combination.

As illustrated the lock ineludesnt-wo .re-

\ latively movable members land 12 which. are

. adapted tobe moved @into and out of locking position. Each .member. is providcd with .several tumbler receiv ng apertures, a so. ar-

:ranged that each aperture of one. member,

,registerswithan aperture of theothcrmem- .ber..when the members are in. locking" posi ward movement.

Se1'ia1rNo.,671,873.

,tion. Some ofsaid apertures. are provided with spring pressed tumblers 5 and 5" which are so arranged that they normally form a locking, element, between said members,

when the members are in locking positioin Other. apertures are provlded with manually actuated tumblers, which either control the movement of the spring pressed locking tumblers, or which themselves are capable of locking. the members 111 the locking position. A separate actuating "device, is provided for each manually operated tumbler, and these. devlces are similar in. appearance so as to disguise those which control the movement of the spring pressed locking plungers.

s As applied to as-teering wheel my invention includes a cylindrical stationary memher 1 which is adapted to be rigidly secured to a housing 2 ot a steering postfi. A plurality of circumferential rows of recesses 4. are provided in the cylindrical member. Seated in these recesses are tumblers 5 adapted to .be. springpressed outwardly .by spiral springslorcated between the bases" of the tumblers and the bottomsot the recesses. Certain of these locking, tumblers 5, have greater length than the others, for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

Surrounding the stationary recessed member 1.is a movable keeper sleevefiwhich; is provided with a plurality of circumferential rows of recesses 7 which are adapted to cooperate with the recesses 4; of the stationary member when the keeper sleeve is in its raised position. glVhen the sleeve is lowered its recesses 7 are movedout of line withthe recesses otthe stationary member and the latter are then closed by the sleeve which retains the. locking tumblers 5 and 5 within their recesses and prevents their out- This keeper sleeve is normally pressed. downwardly by a spiral spring 8 located between the top. of the sleeve .and the upper part of my locking means,

and surrounding the top. of the. steering post housing. It is. adapted .tosbe raised to bring itsrecesses into line. Wltllillfl locking tumblers bya button 9 extending through a slot. 10in the lower support 11 of my looking. means.

This lower supporting member 11 is adapted to be rigidly secured to the inner stationary. member 1 and tothehousing 2 for the steering postp lts upper face is of the steering wheel 14 and is adapted to turn therewith. V 7 Located in the recesses 18 which come opposite the locking tumblers 5 are manually operated tumblers 15 of such length as to prevent these locking tumblers from entering the recesses in the locking sleeve. In the recesses 13 which are adapted to come opposite the long tumblers 5 are other manually operated tumblers 15 which are of such length as to allow the tumblers 5 to enter the recess in the outer sleeve when it is in line therewith and when the perforation in the keeper sleeve also registers therewith. All of the manual tumbers 18 and 13 are provided with stems 16 which extend out \vardly through small openings in the circumference of the locking sleeve and have at their outer extremity similar operating means or buttons 17 Assuming that the steering wheel is locked againstmovement'by the locking tumblers 5, as shown inFig. l, and that it is desired to unlock it therefrom in order to manipulate it,'it 'will be impossible to do so unless the operator has knowledgeot what combination of buttons 17 to press to release the the manual tumblers 15 to push back the.

' associated tumbler 5 and enter the recess 4.

in the stationary member 1.

be operated.

7 Obviously any manipulation of the buttons other than the correct combination would fail to unlock the To do so it is essential that only the buttons of themanual tumblers 15 locking tumblers 5 out of tie recesses in the sleeve 12. Upon such movement the keeper sleeve 6 is torceddownwardly by its spring past the beveled ends of the various tum blers, thus closing all recesses and preventing any locking movement of the tumblers.

The wheel is then free to berotated and the car operated. To lock'the wheelit is only necessary to bring the recesses 13 opposite :the locking tumblers 5' and to raise the keeper sleeve by means of the button 9 and when the recesses register the locking tum blersare forced outwardly into locking posi- This will'result in forcing the movable sleeve 12 and the stationary support 11 respectively. 7

It is thus seen that I have provided a secure lock which can be easily applied to a steeringwheel without in any way interfering with its rigid connection to the steering post and that my lock can be easily man1pulated without the use of any keys whatsoever.

In Fig. 6 I have shown my lock as applied to two movable members such, for example, as a door, and its casing shown for simplicity as applied to a sliding door and its jamb.

The lock in this case is similar in all respects to the one'herein above describedwith the additional feature or" having the looking tumblers provided with a means such as rings 18 connected to stems 19 which eX- tend outwardly from the base of the tumblers to allow all tumblers to be pulled back into unlocked position. This enables the door or the like to be unlocked from the in-l side by one who is unaware of the proper combination and also holds each locking tumbler in its recess.

Springs 22 are provided beneath the but tons 17 of each manually operatedtumbler to hold the same in the proper position and to prevent its obtrusion in the way of the door when closing the latter.

Having thus described one embodiment. of my'invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letter Patent is:-

1. A lock including a member having tumblers mounted in recesses therein, a second relatively movable member having a cooperating recess 'adapted to register with the recesses of said first member to receive said tumblers so as to lock said-members against relative movement, means for unlocking said members and means for normally preventing said tumblers from locking said members together. V

2. A look including a member having tumblers mounted in recesses therein, a'second recesses of said first member to receive said tumblers so as to lock said members against relative movement, meensfor unlocking said members and means adapted to be automatically opepated upon the iuilocking of said members to prevent said tumblers from 10.01 ing said members together.

3. A look including a member having tumblers mounted in recesses therein, a 'second relatively'movable memberhaving cooperating recesses adaptedto register with the recesses of said first member toreceive said tumblers so astolock-said members automatically actuated upon unlocking of said members for preventing said tumblers against relative movement, means jfor unlocking said members, means adapted to be from looking said members together, said means being manually operable to permit locking movement of said tumblers.

4. A lock including a member having tumblers mounted in recesses therein, a second relatively movable member having cooperating recesses adapted to register with the recesses 01 said first member to receive said tumblers so as to lock said members against i relative movement, means for unlocking said members and means interposed between said members and adapted to be automatically operated upon unlocking of said members so as to close said recesses and prevent said tumblers from locking said members together and means for manually shitting said last named means so as to permit locking movement of Saidtumblers.

5. A look comprising relatively movable members having tumbler receiving apertures formed therein, tumblers mounted in the apertures of one of said members and movable into engagement with apertures of the other member when the apertures of said members are in an opposed relation, separate manually operating means, associated with each tumbler, for moving the tumbler to different positions in its mount ing aperture and a movable keeper plate located between said members and having tumbler receiving recesses formed therein,

said plate being adapted to prevent locking movement of said tumblers.

6. In a steering wheel lock, a recessed cylinder adapted to be secured to a steering post housing and having spring pressed locking tumblers seated in the recesses thereof, a surrounding locking sleeve adapted to be secured to a steering wheel and having recesses adapted to coincide with the recesses of said cylinder to receive said tumblers, tumblers in certain of said sleeve recesses of such length as to prevent entrance of the corresponding locking tumblers and which if actuated will enter the cylinder recesses, tumblers in the other sleeve recesses of such length as to permit entrance therein of the corresponding locking tumblers and which upon actuation will press back the tumblers to unlock the sleeve and cylinder, all of said tumblers in said sleeve having similar external actuating means and means for normally preventing movement of said locking tumblers.

7. In a steering wheel lock, a recessed cylinder adapted to be secured to a steering post housing and having spring pressed locking tumblers seated in the recesses there of, a surrounding locking sleeve adapted to be secured to a steering wheel and having recesses adapted to coincide to the recesses of said cylinder to receive said locking tumblers, manually operated plungers in certain of said sleeve recesses of such length as to prevent entrance therein of the corresponding locking tumblers and which if actuated will enter the cylinder recesses, manually operated tumblers in the other sleeve recesses of such length as to permit entrance therein of the corresponding locking tumblers and which open actuation will press back the said tumblers to unlock the sleeve and cylinder, all of said manually operated tumbers having similar external actuating buttons, means for normally preventing movement oi said tumblers comprising a spring pressed perforated keeper sleeve between said cylinder and locking sleeve for automatically closing said recesses upon unlocking said cylinder and sleeveand means for manually moving said keeper sleeve to permit said locking tumblers to enter said sleeve recesses through the perforations of said keeper sleeve.

8. A look comprising a member having tumblers seated in recesses and a second relatively movable member having cooperating recesses adapted to register with the recesses of said first member to receive said tumblers to lock said members against relative movement, means in certain of said cooperating recesses to prevent entrance of the corresponding tumblers and means in he other cooperating recesses adapted to press back the corresponding tumblers to unlock said members, all of said means, having similar external actuating buttons and means on each tumbler for retracting the same.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this th day of October,1923.

ANSON B. lVETHERELL. 

